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April 18, 2005

The Wait is Over: Rosedale Released Today

By Nancy Gohring

Intel is expected to release Rosedale, its WiMax chip today: Along with that announcement, I expect a number of articles from the mainstream press that are likely to skew the facts. This Business Week article is a case in point. The article has some inaccuracies (such as stating that McCaw founded Clearwire in 1998; in reality, he bought the company last year) but also extends some stretching of the truth that was likely offered to the writer by Intel. For example, the article states that WiMax will offer speeds six times as fast as existing broadband technologies. While WiMax is capable of delivering very high throughput, residential users are likely to be offered speeds quite similar to that offered by DSL and cable modem services because it will allow the WiMax operators to offer the service to more customers. The article also says that by developing the WiMax standard, Intel has “stolen a march on rivals like Fujitsu.” In fact, I see WiMax as offering great potential business for the likes of Fujitsu, which is expected to be one of the earliest chip makers to release a WiMax chip. Wi-LAN, a major broadband wireless vendor, has already said it will use the Fujitsu chips and I’ve got advance news of another major vendor that plans to announce later this week that it will use the Fujitsu chip.

Intel is expected to also announce vendors that have decided to use Rosedale and offer a recap of WiMax trials around the globe. I’ve got at least one announcement from a vendor that will use the chip but it’s not public until the wee hours of the morning in the U.S. so stay tuned.